Welcome to Loud & ClearSTL, the renamed and renewed blog for the Center for Hearing & Speech. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit agency that provides top quality speech and audiology services for individuals of all ages, regardless of one’s ability to pay. The blog is a tool we’re using to tell you who we are, what we do and how we do it. If you have a question, comment or concern about anything we post, please let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

This graphic brilliantly points out that the four main ways
people lose their hearing is through listening to loud music,
spending too much time in an industrial work place with power drills and the
like, being exposed to the sounds of a racetrack, and being exposed to the
sounds of guns firing for long periods of time. So, how do you know if your
ears are being damaged? Well, if someone is standing three feet away from you,
but you cannot hear the words coming out of their mouth, then odds are that you
are probably in a situation where the noise level is dangerous. Time to put in
those earplugs!

Monday, November 16, 2015

The holidays are approaching and you and your
family & friends will be busy shopping for gifts. Remind them to shop at smile.amazon.com
& help Center for Hearing & Speech increase its AmazonSmile donations!

It’s
that time of year when staff at the Center for Hearing & Speech reminds you
of possible giving opportunities that your employer may offer for employee
charitable giving during the holidays.

As
you may know, some companies choose to give to local charities as a way to give
back to the community during the holiday season. If your employer provides this
type of program or adopts a charity for giving this time of year, please
remember the Center when nominations are being considered or accepted. The results
of such a charitable campaign can be of great benefit to our clients! For
example, a $7,000 donation could provide:

·Nearly
1,000 low-income children with a hearing and vision tests through our School
Screening Program to detect any unseen disorders;

·Seven
children each receiving 12 speech/language therapy sessions by trained and
licensed speech/language pathologists in the comfort of their own schools or at
the Center to help correct their problems; or

·Seven
adults or five children each receiving complete hearing evaluations, one
hearing aid and follow up visits to hear well and to be able to effectively
communicate with others.

Every
dollar donated is put to good use to help St. Louisans to communicate better
and to live more fulfilled lives, so thank you for this consideration. Please
let Rita or me know if your employer would require any information to set up a
giving program that could benefit Center clients this holiday season!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

The Center congratulates Executive
Director Rita Tintera for her 45 years of service to St. Louisans with speech/language
and hearing disorders.

It used to be commonplace that
someone would work their entire career at one employer. We don’t hear much of
this happening these days as people jump from job to job and return to school
to learn another career. However, Tintera has dedicated her career and life to
helping others through the Center’s mission.

“It was 1970 when I first walked
into the Center,” Tintera reflects. “The plan was to work here while completing
college, then I planned to move on to the corporate world. However, the
nonprofit way of life and the Center’s mission touched me in such a dramatic
way that, when the time came to leave, I chose to stay and be a part of
something truly meaningful.”

The past, present and future of the Center could be nowhere complete without her leadership. Working in just about every position and department during her years here, Tintera has shared countless hours of her time, her endless energy and her unflagging enthusiasm to guide staff, volunteers and clients. It’s rather a unique twist of fate that she now celebrates her 45th work anniversary just as the Center celebrates its 95th year of existence. It is with deepest affection and respect that we thank Rita for her tenure and leadership to the Center!

The Center for
Hearing & Speech is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that donates $1.75
million in speech/language and audiology services each year to residents of
metropolitan St. Louis. CHS improves the quality of life for individuals
with hearing and speech disorders by providing caring and high quality
services, regardless of one’s ability to pay. The Center continually strives to
address a greater portion of the unmet need relating to speech and audiology in
the St. Louis region. It is a proud member of the United Way of Greater St.
Louis and the Better Business Bureau.

The Center
would like to congratulate Beverly Hawthorne, who celebrates her five-year
anniversary this month as the Center’s Administrative Assistant. Thank you for
all of your hard work, Beverly!

Her
responsibilities include answering phones, batching daily clinic and off-site location
information, setting up appointments, sending out and receiving Financial Aid
applications and working with the Scholarship Funding program as well as ordering
office supplies, processing mail, and other miscellaneous duties.

“I
appreciate the mission of the Center for Hearing & Speech, and am happy to
be a part of a team which serves an important need in our community,” Hawthorne
said. “I feel as though this is more than ‘just a job’.”

She enjoys
a full plate of hobbies including photography, writing, sketching, playing the
piano, maintaining a large collection of music, and bird-keeping. These days,
most of her free time is spent with Bible study, reading and caring for two silly
parakeets that make her smile.

The Center for Hearing & Speech is a 501
(c) 3 non-profit organization that donates $1.75 million in speech/language and
audiology services each year to residents of metropolitan St. Louis. CHS
improves the quality of life for individuals with hearing and speech disorders
by providing caring and high quality services, regardless of one’s ability to
pay. The Center continually strives to address a greater portion of the unmet
need relating to speech and audiology in the St. Louis region. It is a proud
member of the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Better Business Bureau.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Center’s
annual Circle of Hope Society Reception was held last week in the home of Center
board member, Sallie Kratz. We thank Sallie for graciously hosting, providing
food and drink for a fantastic evening!

Guest speaker
was John Caroll, a long-time client of the Center’s Speech & Language
Program. John spoke about his struggle with stuttering and how his years of
therapy at the Center have helped him move on personally and professionally.

Circle of Hope
Society members are the Center’s most generous contributors. Their gifts enable
the Center to be a safety net for our communities which are less fortunate and
are dealing with hearing and speech disorders.

For more
information on how you can join our Circle of Hope Society, please contact Rita
Tintera at tinterar@chsstl.org, or Jeff Tarr at tarrj@chsstl.orgor call them at the Center at 314-968-4710.

The Center for Hearing &
Speech is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that donates $1.75 million in
speech/language and audiology services each year to residents of metropolitan
St. Louis. CHS improves the quality of life for individuals with hearing
and speech disorders by providing caring and high quality services, regardless
of one’s ability to pay. The Center continually strives to address a greater
portion of the unmet need relating to speech and audiology in the St. Louis
region. It is a proud member of the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the
Better Business Bureau.

Center For Hearing & Speech is celebrating its 95th
Anniversary this month! To commemorate this great achievement, we will soon be
featuring historical photos from the Center’s early days on this Loud &
Clear blog, the Center’s facebook and twitter pages, quarterly newsletter and other
publications.

In addition, we’re asking all of our supporters to send us your
favorite Center photos and stories from the past! Forward your memories of past Center events
and people to Charles Moreland at morelandc@chsstl.org
or feel free to call him at the Center at 314-968-4710.

The Center for Hearing &
Speech is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that donates $1.75 million in
speech/language and audiology services each year to residents of metropolitan
St. Louis. CHS improves the quality of life for individuals with hearing
and speech disorders by providing caring and high quality services, regardless
of one’s ability to pay. The Center continually strives to address a greater
portion of the unmet need relating to speech and audiology in the St. Louis
region. It is a proud member of the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the
Better Business Bureau.